DNB Asset Management AS Has $72.16 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS boosted its Applied Materials stake by 51% in the fourth quarter, ending with 280,792 shares valued at about $72.16 million.
• Applied Materials has drawn broad institutional and analyst support, with 80.56% ownershipModerate Buy.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, topping EPS and revenue estimates, and also raised its dividend to $0.53 per share quarterly, while management projected continued growth in upcoming guidance.

DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 51.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 280,792 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 94,779 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS's holdings in Applied Materials were worth $72,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Grandfield & Dodd LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 6.9% in the third quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 269,511 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $55,180,000 after buying an additional 17,397 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 4.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,101,772 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $635,057,000 after buying an additional 145,050 shares in the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 82.2% in the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 26,893 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after buying an additional 12,132 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Applied Materials by 21.8% in the third quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 96,712 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $19,801,000 after buying an additional 17,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at $1,531,000. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Applied Materials from $454.00 to $502.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. HSBC assumed coverage on Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $517.00 target price for the company. DZ Bank upgraded Applied Materials to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Applied Materials from $400.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Twenty-seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $463.89.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $436.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.47 and a 1 year high of $448.45. The stock has a market cap of $346.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.66. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $379.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $319.44.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.48% and a net margin of 29.31%.The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.39 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 11.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Applied Materials's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.83%.

More Applied Materials News

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials posted record Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue expectations and lifting its outlook, with management citing strong AI infrastructure spending as a key growth driver. Applied Materials Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street turned more bullish after the report, with multiple firms raising price targets, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Needham, and KeyCorp, reinforcing confidence in multi-year earnings growth. Applied Materials Sees Multi-Year AI Boom Driving Record Revenue And Growth Through 2028
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts highlighted a durable AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, suggesting Applied Materials could sustain elevated demand and margins through 2027-2028. Krish Sankar Reaffirms Buy on Applied Materials
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market backdrop is weaker, with major indexes down as Treasury yields and oil prices rise, which is adding headwinds for high-valuation tech and AI stocks. Stock Market Today: Dow Falls As Oil Prices, Yields Jump; Applied Materials, Nvidia, Cerebras Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the strong earnings report, the stock is slipping as investors rotate out after a sharp year-to-date rally, showing some concern that expectations may already be very high. Applied Materials slips despite record quarter and strong outlook (AMAT)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Brice Hill sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.21, for a total transaction of $1,806,050.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 138,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,051,063.65. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Judy Bruner sold 3,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.02, for a total value of $1,496,392.38. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,778,624.78. This represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,003 shares of company stock worth $4,484,189. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials' offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.

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